Berríos blanks Birds 7-0 as Twins take series

To say the least, the Orioles could not maintain any momentum after their opening day walk-off win. Nearly no-hit last night, they were held to just three hits this afternoon in 7-0 loss to Minnesota and right-hander José Berríos. He needed just 107 pitches to throw his first career shutout in his 40th career start.

Kevin Gausman got hammered as the Orioles lost two of three at home to start the 2018 season.

Last season, Gausman allowed three or more homers in a game three times, and today he gave up three in the first three innings as Minnesota took a 6-0 lead.

The Twins scored four runs on four hits and a wild pitch in the top of the first. Second baseman Brian Dozier began the day with his 28th leadoff homer on the game's first pitch. He hit a 91 mph fastball to left off Gausman, who had a 6.35 first-inning ERA last season. The Twins' second run scored on a wild pitch. They took a 3-0 lead on Eduardo Escobar's bloop double and made it 4-0 on a Byron Buxton single.

Gausman, who averaged 95.3 mph on his fastball over the 2017 season, averaged just 91.7 mph on his fastball in the first, topping at 93 mph.

In the Minnesota third, Miguel Sanó led off with a solo homer to right, his second in two games. With two outs, shortstop Eduardo Escobar blasted a Gausman splitter 427 feet to center for a 6-0 lead.

Right-hander Pedro Araujo replaced Gausman to start the fifth. Over four innings, Gausman allowed seven hits and six runs. He walked two, fanned five and yielded three homers. He threw 73 pitches, 46 for strikes, and averaged 92.3 mph on his fastball.

Dylan Bundy pitched seven scoreless for the Orioles on opening day. But over the past two games, Gausman and Andrew Cashner allowed 11 runs and six homers over nine innings.

Meanwhile, the Orioles offense wasn't getting much going in the early innings, either. Berríos needed just 11 pitches in the first and only 49 to get through five innings of one-hit ball. Chance Sisco's double to left in the third was the only O's hit through five innings.

O's hitters went 3-for-30 in Saturday's loss and also went 3-for-30 today. In the three-game set, the Orioles scored five runs with just 11 hits.

In this series, Twins starters Jake Odorizzi, Kyle Gibson and Berríos combined to pitch 21 innings, allowing five hits and no runs.

The Twins added another homer in the sixth, when Dozier homered to left off Araujo for his second of the day. This was his eighth career multi-homer game.

After losing the last two days, now the Orioles hit the road for a tough seven-game trip to Houston and New York. On Monday night, against the defending World Series champs, Chris Tillman pitches against right-hander Charlie Morton.